This week, Chief Neil Dubord is joined by Grayson Hawkings and Joel Thirsk from the Delta Police Department.

 

In this episode, Chief Dubord speaks with Grayson and Joel about their intervention in a case that had an unexpected turn and how they handled a complex and uncertain incident in the Ferry Terminal, displaying a magnificent team effort.  Both Grayson and Joel share the impact the process that followed the event had on them since they were not able to talk to anyone about the incident for many months. They also speak of the strategies and tools they used to keep their psychological strength and clarity. 

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:43] Grayson shares about himself

[2:07] Joel talks about how he joined the Delta Police Department.

[3:17] Reflection on a previous call involving Grayson and Joel. Four years ago, Joel and Grayson got a peculiar call about a child stuck in mud.

[4:09] Introduction of crisis call. Radio clip of the police communicating during the incident at the ferry terminal.

[7:50] Grayson talks about that call.

[13:05] Grayson had to run after the man that was driving the taxi.

[13:36] Joel shares what he knew about what was happening.

[14:39] Grayson and Joel were at the moment working by themselves, each in a one-person unit.

[14:55] Grayson explains the yelling in the radio clip.

[16:33] Joel shares how he got to support Grayson.

[18:30] Grayson finds out the man has a knife.

[20:55]  Grayson talks about what happened after the man starts to harm himself..

[23:40] From de-escalation to applying first aid.

[24:40] Grayson distances himself from the scene to catch his breath.

[26:09] Joel shares the events after the man harmed himself and all the questions he had in his mind at the moment.

[28:12] Grayson returned to the office, and anxiety started to kick in.

[29:46] Grayson and Joel discuss the impact of being unable to speak with anyone about what happened.

[32:08] Grayson shares how upsetting it was for his belt to be taken from him.

[32:50] Joel did not sleep well after the event.

[35:34] How was it like to get back to work? 

[36:55] Grayson and Joel did not know how long the process would be.

[37:50] They could speak to no one (not even the psychologist or teammates)

[40:57] Joel and Grayson discuss their strategies to continue working and staying positive.

[44:01] Months turned into years, what did Joel and Grayson do over that period of time?

[45:54] Eighteen months later, they have to talk about the incident. How fresh was it in their minds?

[47:42] There is a need to understand the process.

[49:45] Social connections are crucially important inside and outside of the police.

[51:42] Did they do anything to try to stop the event from repeating itself in their minds?

[54:09] Would there have been any advantage if they were allowed to tell the story sooner? 

[55:13] Joel grew up in a police family.

[56:45] Chief Dubord summarizes the advice that Joel and Grayson provided.

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

K9 Coffee Co.

 

Looking for More Episodes?

You can find more episodes of Bend Don’t Break on iTunes, Google Play, and most other major podcasting platforms.

 

Connect with the Delta Police Department:

Follow the Delta Police on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Visit their website at DeltaPolice.ca.